Meet Shaun Burton, our regional manager for North London and East Anglia

Shaun Burton started his construction career working alongside his brother running their family roofing firm before becoming a day trader and investing in stocks and shares.

He joined Hudson Contract as an auditor in 2016 and now works as a regional account manager for North London and East Anglia.

What’s your role at Hudson Contract?

I go out to meet clients old and new and explain the compliance risks involved in engaging subbies and how to mitigate or eliminate them. It is so dynamic: there is always something new coming out that affects construction firms, whether it is changes to the CITB levy, employment law or IR35 off-payroll working rules. One day I could be in a boardroom speaking to 10 executives. The next I could be in somebody’s living room speaking to the director of a small family company. Then I could be on a site, doing an audit and seeing individual subbies.

What is your background?

I’m originally from Bridlington and like Hudson Contract’s directors, I have a background in building. For 12 years, I worked with my brother running our family’s roofing firm, doing all kinds of projects. It was a great introduction to the building industry. In 2008, there was the slowdown and I left the company and became a day trader, buying and selling stocks and shares and learning lots about the financial markets and wider economy. In 2016, I was looking for a change and Ian Anfield asked me to join Hudson Contract as an auditor.

What do you like about construction?

I enjoy site visits and seeing the latest cutting edge building techniques that our clients are using. The industry is the basis of the UK economy. The stamp duty cuts announced by the government last month are a massive step forward and will help more first-time buyers onto the housing ladder and encourage homeowners to move into bigger properties. Big infrastructure projects like HS2 create work for thousands of contractors and subcontractors and reduce the effects of recession. I also like the fact that young people can learn a trade and end up running their own businesses.

What would help the industry grow?

If we had more skilled labour then construction would be even busier and bigger, especially during the last two years. Firms can’t get enough operatives to carry out all the work. Overall, I don’t think the industry is looked upon positively as a career even though average earnings for self-employed tradespeople are exceeding £1,000 per week in some parts of the country, which is an incredible amount of money. If young people go to university, they will be coming out with average debt of £45,000. If they enter construction as apprentices, they are earning while they are learning and getting steps ahead. Our apprenticeship scheme is a great example of how to attract new recruits.

What do you enjoy outside of work?

I like doing up properties. Five years ago, I bought a house, renovated it and sold it. I have a couple of rental properties which are leased out as holiday lets. Golf is my sport although I’m not very good at it. It can be infuriating but is very rewarding as well!